Villain

16.A Funeral

I walk down the chaotic hallways,calmly making my way to my chambers. The Kingdom has been in an uproar since I announced the King was dead. Brutally murdered before my eyes by our guests. Servants rushed through the halls,preparing for the funeral that would take place later today. I wore a plain white dress,a veil covering my face to symbolize my mourning and that I am now a widow. People pass me,passing their condolences. I nod and stay silent,conveying their condolences.I nod and stay silent,conveying my grief. Behind my veil, I cannot help but roll my eyes at their dramatics. The King of Light was merely a figurehead.

He was a weak man, with weak magic. Unable to make the right allies. Refusing to fight his enemies. Now that he is gone I do not have to keep the facade of wanting peace. An act of murder, that of the King, calls for war. At least in his death, my husband proved useful. I enter my personal chambers, the one no-one knows about and look around at the magical items on shelves. In the center of the room, a single space lies empty. The space my black rune box, protected by a charm.

Untouchable until the Prince of Darkness took the form of my daughter and tricked me into giving it to him. I sigh at my stupidity. It was going so well. With Dawn under my spell I had a spy as well as the opportunity to make Marcella miserable. I was happy that we bonded over her demise and the prince used that weakness against me, while Dawn, being the ungrateful brat she is, sided with Marcella. Stupid girl couldn't see that the older girl was using her.

Just like her mother used me. I grew up in the Kingdom of Light as the daughter of a noble. My life was set the day I was born. As a female I could not take over for my father, my only useful purpose was to be married. I was not allowed to learn. My mother taught me what she believed I needed to know, and I hated her for it. I saw the way people respected my father and completely disregarded her. I vowed to never suffer the same fate. I was 16 when I met my husband, who at the time was the Prince of Light.

Our eye color was almost a perfect match. My father made the wedding arrangements faster than I could blink. It was settled that after his coronation at the age of 18,we were to be wed. I was to marry a man I did not know or even like. It was a honor they told me, but I did not feel the same way. I wanted to run away, make my own fate. I almost did run away. I almost laugh reminiscing how stupid I was when I was young. I had a friend named Morrigan, who I only saw once a month. Her brother was a trader, she was from a far of land, coming on his trips.

We met when she was out wondering when she should not have been, she was never good at following rules, not like me at all. She was bold and rebelious, she spoke back when she was treated unfairly,and encourged me to do the same. We confided in each other.She hated being at sea,hated what she had to see as a sibling of a trader,hated how her brother cared for her since her parents died, but treated her like a burden. I told her about the trouble behind closed doors, about my unwanted marriage ,about how unfair my life was.

We hatched a plan to run away together to her land. I was so stupid. Wanting to run from a Royal position, a powerful position. Trusting a so called friend for encouraging me to follow what I wanted. She was jealous and manipulated. My father saw right through her, knew that she hated that I had a chance of success while she was stuck being a nobody, I refused to believe him. He caught us, and I was punished terribly by him. I was unsure about her plan, and am now certain she intended to get caught and get me in trouble. I was a fool to believe her.

When her brother heard, she was disowned, especially since I was a nobles daughter, and the future Kings betrothed. Being the stupid girl I was, I got her a job as a maid in the castle after speaking to my betrothed. Once I was married, I realized that the life of a Royal was much better than I had expected. I was to be educated and treated with the most respect. Once I found out that being more powerful gave me a greater title, I had something I had never had before. A choice.

Morrigan found herself a job, and moved away a year before my wedding. I thought it was because she hated being a servant. Eventually I noticed that my husband went out often after we were married. I often wondered why he was never home. I found my answer when Morrigan arrived at the castle heavily pregnant, and I immediately knew. My husband and best friend had betrayed me in the worst possible way. "How could you," I had asked her. "This was supposed to happen. He followed me Erin. I left because I knew he was your husband and having feelings for him was wrong," she had responded.

I didn't believe her. She was jealous and I know she went after him and seduced him as some sort of revenge for my family being the reason she was disowned. She was carrying his heir, she was obviously planning to replace me, claiming she loved him, but I knew the truth and I was not going to let her get the best of me again. She accepted the job in the castle just to get revenge and left so I wouldn't be suspicious. "You never wanted to be with him," she had exclaimed once. "You don't love him. You love the title being with him gives you," she had spat. It was true I only cared about the title, which is why I knew I wasn't going to let her ruin it.

She gave birth a week after she arrived, to my luck the child was a girl. I was very upset that my potion only kicked in after the birth, and instead of killing two , it only managed to take her life. The King was distraught. A daughter out of wed lock, to a woman who was dead. "Why," I had asked him. "It wasn't my choice. Her magic...she forced me to do it .I would never be intimate with a servant," he had faked the disgust well enough for me to believe him. "No one needs to know about the child," I had decided, and he reminded me that we could not simply get rid of her.

So I kept the girl around to see if she had the same power as her mother had, a gamble to test the honesty of my husband. The moment the child showed her power I started seeking out my beloved box. The child gave me something I could only dream of. The Power to control others. The first thing I had done was get the truth out of my husband, and it had angered me.

I had been to foolish, to forgiving, and far to kind. I found myself wishing I didn't give Morrigan such an easy end. Seeing her daughter only reminded me of the lies and betrayal. I hated the little girl. So she paid for the sins of her mother. Soon I had my own child. I kept her away from the politics. The throne was mine, and since I had a girl I could simply marry her of. I had power, and I wasn't going to let it go. Everyone who had wronged me would have to pay first.

I shake myself out of the reverie, dressed for the funeral in a silver dress and the same veil from earlier covering my face. The entire Kingdom has gathered for this truly heartbreaking event. I feel no sadness. My husband was not a good man. At least now, he finally proved himself useful. By taking that blade, he not only saved me, but also finally gave me the reason to start a war, and unlike my weak husband, I will not hesitate to do so.

Once all the rituals are complete, I stand to address my people. "Your king was killed in a brutal way," at least I made sure it looked that way." The Prince of Darkness entered this Kingdom as a guest and how did he repay us? With an act of treason. He had our king killed, and managed to turn our Princess, my daughter, against us," its hard to place the grief in my voice correctly, but I do it well. I am quite used to putting on an act for these fools.

"This calls for only one response," I pretend that I am struggling to keep my voice strong. "My people, we are at war. "My words are solemn ,and everyone falls silent. "But we will fight. For our Kingdom. For ourselves. And most of all, for our King," I declare, and my people rumble with agreement. Behind my veil, I grin widely. Everything is going exactly as planned.